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Add your name to these public comments to be submitted to Michigan state agencies by signing this petition.

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Last June, the preliminary Line 5 Alternatives Study was released, and more than 23,000 people submitted their comment calling for the shutdown of Line 5 as the only alternative that will truly protect the Great Lakes from an oil spill. The revised and final Alternatives Study has just been released, which has triggered a second comment period that is now open.

Prevent a Catastrophic Great Lakes Oil Spill

The deadline for public comments is December 19, 2017, so please sign on and submit your comment today via this online form. Let's prevent a devastating oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac.

I am writing to submit my official comment in response to the State of Michigan’s Line 5 final alternatives analysis dated October 26 and released on November 20. I am deeply disappointed in this final analysis. A draft alternatives report released in June was riddled with errors and omissions, and the final report contains most of the same failures.

This report fails to meet its overall purpose of “providing the State of Michigan and other interested parties with an independent, comprehensive analysis of alternatives to the existing Straits Pipelines, and the extent to which each alternative promotes the public health, safety, and welfare and protects the public trust resources of the Great Lakes.”

It lacks credibility because its author is Dynamic Risk, a firm with ties to Enbridge, the Canadian energy transport company that owns Line 5. Even worse, it absurdly underestimates the impact of a spill and ignores a viable alternative to Line 5 – use of existing infrastructure. An independent expert review in December 2015 documented the practicality of this alternative.

Decommissioning Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac is the only alternative that will prevent an oil spill with catastrophic consequences for the Great Lakes and the State of Michigan. Moreover, this final alternative report affirms that decommissioning is a feasible option with zero risks to the Great Lakes and minimal economic impacts to Michigan customers (e.g., two cents more at the gas pump and roughly 10 to 25 cents more for propane in the Upper Peninsula).

It is time for the state to reject the flawed study, exercise its affirmative legal duty as public trustee of the Great Lakes and bottomlands, and shut down Line 5. The state should use that authority to revoke the 1953 easement agreement that Enbridge has consistently violated.

The risk of a spill is too great to allow Line 5 to continue to operate in the Great Lakes. Our state government should not put the Great Lakes, our economy, health, drinking water, fisheries, and way of life at risk from a catastrophic oil spill any longer. In fact, on November 16, the Coast Guard Coast commandant testified again to Congress that his agency is not prepared to clean up a large-scale pipeline oil spill in the Great Lakes.

I urge you to act as public trustees of our waters and bottomlands, enforce the easement in light of Enbridge’s ongoing violations, and begin the process of decommissioning Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac to protect the Great Lakes from a catastrophic oil spill. The State of Michigan has a legal duty to take this enforcement action. Enbridge’s ongoing violations cannot be remedied. It is time for the state to act decisively and with urgency.

Specifically, the draft report on alternatives to Line 5 in the Mackinac Straits:

Fails to follow the recommendations and standards outlined in the Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force Report, which resulted from a process created by the governor and co-chaired by the attorney general, and therefore cannot be used by the State of Michigan “in making decisions about the future of the Straits Pipelines.”

Neglects to provide the state with an independent, fair analysis of the alternatives to Line 5 as required by the Task Force Report. This final report remains biased toward allowing Line 5 to continue to operate and/or allowing Enbridge to build new oil infrastructure in the Straits of Mackinac and further expand its operations. That bias grows out of past, and potentially future, business relationships between Enbridge and the report’s authors.

Fails to analyze existing pipeline infrastructure as an alternative to Line 5 in the Straits, which the state required Dynamic Risk to analyze, and leaving it out conflicts with Task Force recommendation 3 (b). It is unacceptable that the contractor eliminated this alternative without any analysis. The 1953 easement granted with strict conditions by the state to Enbridge does not guarantee transport of 540,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and natural gas liquids. In fact, the 1953 MPSC Order states 300,000 bpd, which means Enbridge is currently operating Line 5 at 80 percent over design capacity.

Fails to analyze new evidence disclosed by Enbridge affecting the pipeline’s integrity, including external corrosion, 48 bare metal spots caused by the installation of screw anchors, compromised cathodic protection, and historic excessive pipeline spans greater than the 75-feet limit (including a 286-foot span that was unsupported for years), as required by the legal operating agreement with the State of Michigan. Dynamic Risk’s rationale, in part, is that "it would be inappropriate to speculate on any of the above aspects of the coating condition."

Fails to consider tribal sovereign treaty rights and feedback on the basis that Dynamic Risk was not a party to tribal and state consultations, which is an unacceptable dismissal of input by a key stakeholder.

Grossly underestimates the total economic spill costs at between $147 million and $310 million, when Enbridge’s cleanup costs of its 2010 Line 6B pipeline oil spill along a 40-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River cost more than $1.2 billion.

Overestimates an impact to propane supply, greatly exceeding what independent experts have determined would be necessary to provide the Upper Peninsula’s Rapid River facility with an alternative supply. The flawed report finds that up to 35 railcars per week or 15 truckloads per day would be necessary, while another study found it would take only one railcar or 3 - 4 truckloads per day to replace the Line 5 propane supply to the U.P.

Continues to show an unfair bias towards building a tunneled pipeline in the Mackinac Straits. The report estimates a much lower cost for a tunnel than other estimates for this type of infrastructure; it fails to consider the risk of a spill to the Great Lakes, rivers and streams from other portions of the 64-year-old pipeline if the Straits portion were rebuilt. Dynamic Risk prefers new pipelines, which was evident when the firm aggressively promoted building a tunnel in its proposal to do this report, and its analysis is deeply flawed.

Showing 1703 reactions

Katie Semrau Keith
posted about this
on Facebook2017-12-04 18:19:19 -0500

JOIN ME and tell the State of Michigan the only acceptable way to protect the Great Lakes is to SHUTDOWN LINE 5.

Katie Keith signed
2017-12-04 18:18:58 -0500

NO risk at all is worth keeping oil running through a pipeline in our fresh waters! This is seriously irresponsible! Isn’t the lack of appropriate response which included lies and cover up by Enbridge in Kalamazoo enough to not trust this company?! Our state and wildlife has already been put through so much by Big Oil. It is time to say no and put Michigan first!

Mitchell Maricque signed
2017-12-04 17:58:09 -0500

Phyllis Stanbury signed
2017-12-04 17:49:08 -0500

Jessica Sanker signed
via Jessica Sanker2017-12-04 17:27:24 -0500

Herman S. Simms, Jr. signed
2017-12-04 17:06:50 -0500

Aren’t you the guys that didn’t take due care or use due process that resulted in the poisoning of Flint??

Patty Morse signed
2017-12-04 17:03:26 -0500

Michigan’s leaders must lead, for the sake of our country! Shut down that line 5!!!!

Harry Kubbe signed
2017-12-04 16:58:50 -0500

I don’t understand how those of you who are elected leaders of this state and state employees, can conscientiously live with yourselves knowing the risk we are taking with line 5 being under the Straits. How could you ever live with yourself when the pipeline fails knowing you could have done something to prevent it?

I have never been a one policy voter, but until this pipeline is shut down, I’m voting for the candidates that have shutting down line 5 in their platform, no matter what their party affiliation is.

SO IMPORTRANT! JOIN ME and tell the State of Michigan the only acceptable way to protect the Great Lakes is to SHUTDOWN LINE 5. And, if you feel so moved, beg the question of how these bastards *Governver Snyder and Enbridge* sleep at night knowing they are endangering our lakes, human beings, animals, and sacred waters.

barbara jackson signed
2017-12-04 16:40:58 -0500

Enough, already! Nature buried the dead – let it rest in peace instead of coming back to haunt us with polluted water and oil-soaked shoreline. Killing the living shorebirds and aquatic life is NOT the answer.

Nadia Ourchane signed
2017-12-04 16:21:54 -0500

The thought and great possibility of this pipeline bursting and dumping thousands of gallons of oil into our precious Great Lakes is stomach-wrenching. Michigan is my home, the Great Lakes are what makes it special; they are already in so much danger from invasive species, that allowing the possibility for a toxic oil spill to occur is just complete negligence. Do not be on the wrong side of history, because you will not be forgiven when this pipeline breaks.

Debra Markus signed
2017-12-04 16:16:55 -0500

Once we have destroyed our Great Lakes we can not get them back.

G Hyatt signed
2017-12-04 16:15:42 -0500

No oil no risk.

Carolyn Lilly signed
2017-12-04 16:00:49 -0500

Oil and our land should not be mixed. We need to work for a better future without oil and coal.

Marissa Samoljanac
posted about this
on Facebook2017-12-04 15:46:57 -0500

JOIN ME and tell the State of Michigan the only acceptable way to protect the Great Lakes is to SHUTDOWN LINE 5.

Marissa Samoljanac signed
2017-12-04 15:46:32 -0500

Stop the short sightedness of pipelines. The cost to the environment, the state and the people will only increase in the future due to this abhorrent negligence for short term monetary gain. This pipeline will not benefit anyone or anything in the end. DECOMMISSION IT NOW!

Brock Johnson signed
2017-12-04 15:31:18 -0500

Just get rid of the pipeline we don’t even get oil from it

Pamela McLaughlin signed
2017-12-04 15:29:51 -0500

We need to protect our water. Shut Line 5 down.

Tim Kepler signed
2017-12-04 15:29:34 -0500

Moselle Schoenfelder signed
2017-12-04 15:27:00 -0500

Please protect our waters and maybe make a shift to cleaner energy options for our future. Water is life.

Lynn Shoemaker signed
2017-12-04 15:19:10 -0500

Joe Kaleel signed
2017-12-04 15:16:02 -0500

Joe Kaleel

Carolyn Al-Qadi signed
2017-12-04 15:15:32 -0500

JoEllen Rudolph signed
2017-12-04 15:04:21 -0500

The agreement signed by Gov Snyder is too soon and too little. Line 5 should be shut down NOW. After a safe way with ONLY a new better engineered pipeline to transport the oil to Canada has been determined, then and only then should ANY oil be sent through the Straits..

Carolyn Thompson signed
2017-12-04 14:59:41 -0500

Time’s awasting to decommission Line 5 pipeline in the Straits!

Brandon Borycki signed
2017-12-04 14:38:16 -0500

Given the handling of this issue by Snyder and Enbridge shows they are not interested in the welfare of the great lakes. This pipeline needs to be decommissioned with quick haste. It is absolutely appalling the level of secrecy and shady dealings involved with this pipeline between our state government and Enbridge. Our most sacred natural resource that we DO need is being threatened for medial profits from a lying corporate giant Enbridge! It’s time to end this charade! Decommission line 5!

Linda Luke signed
2017-12-04 14:20:19 -0500

I do not think any pipeline under the Straits is acceptable, whether new or refurbished.

Cindy Davis signed
via Trevor Davis2017-12-04 14:18:26 -0500

Please decommission Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac!

Judith and David Halsted signed
2017-12-04 14:12:11 -0500

We strongly support this statement, with special emphasis on the need for “an independent, comprehensive analysis of alternatives to the existing Straits Pipelines, and the extent to which each alternative promotes the public health, safety, and welfare and protects the public trust resources of the Great Lakes.” Officials should move immediately to provide this analysis for the citizens of Michigan and all those who live near and/or depend on the waters of the Great Lakes.

Gordon Green signed
2017-12-04 14:07:17 -0500

It’s not a matter of if, but when the pipeline will fail. Enbridge is trying to pull a fast one on Michigan. If you don’t want a Keystone XL or Deepwater Horizon type leak, shut down Line 5.